Not at all ... we are all entitled to our opinions... and many who have made mistakes they deeply regret wish someone had taken the time to counsel with them. It is also a good idea to be informed. Ignorance is not bliss, and actions have consequences not always expected.

But you informed no one of anything with your post. You only gave an opinion, and it's as if you are trying to say that people are ignorant if they don't know what you think of them.

I admit that I wouldn't be thrilled if one of my grand-daughters got a tattoo. What bothers me about them is their permanency. Yeah, you can have them removed but it's expensive and often leaves a scar.

However I think it is a mistake to judge people with tattoos as being stupid/trashy. Most choose designs that have personal meaning to them. They correctly point out that white people have been getting tattoos for many generations.

I see this as a personal decision albeit a huge one that can have consequences like being passed over for employment/friendship. Taken to extreme tattooed people marginalize themselves. But those of us who aren't crazy about tattoos don't need to add to the problem by looking down on fellow white people who decide this is something that appeals to them.

A recent Harris poll put the remorse rate for tattoos at about 16% In 2009 some 61,000 people had tattoos removed. The technology is improving but getting them removed is a lot more costly/painful/time-consuming than getting them in the first place.

There are now lasers that break the ink into micro-particles which your white blood cells absorb/flush out. Dermatologists charge by the square inch; insurance doesn't cover it- and removal can take an average of 15 sessions depending on size/location. You have to wait a month or two between sessions so the whole process can take years. The price tag can run into the thousands.

The easiest tattoos to remove are jailhouse-style drawings consisting of one color/not much ink/not very deep into the skin. The more elaborate multicolored tattoos pose more challenges. Black is the easiest color to remove; yellow/orange the hardest. Areas furthest from the heart are more difficult to treat- such as the ankles.

Some removal jobs are botched.

Not sure it is on the market yet but there is a new type of ink called Freedom 2 which is a microencapsulated dye designed to be easily removed with a single laser treatment. The OP has probably gotten her tattoo by now- but she might ask about this.

You are quite welcome. I know for a fact you mean well and steadfast to your position and hence why I said you are awesome. If we all agreed on everything we might as well call ourselves idiot cult of Zombie Obongo and pass out organ grinders.

Here's another thing to ponder. (not judging just constructive criticism)

Have you ever wondered why the lowest level of the society (prison inmates) has the most tattoos while the highest level (upper class) has the least?

Ancient Europeans adorned their bodies with tattoo's well before the birth of Christ as they formed a first form of heraldry in depicting families or tribal groupings.

Despite these early beginnings, tattooing is now often frowned upon when used to expressed national identity. A kind of stigma (Greek meaning mark) developed in line with being marked for ownership or disgrace. The ancient Greeks and Romans identified criminals and slaves with tattooing (and branding) and this then led to recognition as having no tattoos with being civilised and law-abiding. Whereas tattoos were the preserve of slaves (often captured barbarians who had tattoos before being made slaves).

However this allowed the opposite to happen, in that people could declare shared identity with tattoos as members of their own outlaw subculture. Such as early Christians with whom tattoos were popular in "bearing witness" to their prosecution under Roman rule in permanently recording a statement of faith and were also interpreted as a copy of the stigmata of crucifixion. That even St Paul had the five wounds of Christ tattooed upon him.

This Christian tattooing remained common throughout the middle ages and pilgrims got tattooed to record their visits to holy shrines in the holy land well into the 1600's.